


Taste of Summer

by Apparentlynotreallyfinnish



Series: Kiss Me Once, Kiss Me Twice, Kiss Me a Thousand Times [2]
Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: A brief mention of masturbation, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Never Met, First Kiss, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-19
Updated: 2019-06-19
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:15:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23581453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Apparentlynotreallyfinnish/pseuds/Apparentlynotreallyfinnish
Summary: Under the hot summer sun, a chance meeting at a bus stop turns into a friendship and a possibility of more.
Relationships: Rhett McLaughlin/Link Neal
Series: Kiss Me Once, Kiss Me Twice, Kiss Me a Thousand Times [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1697449
Comments: 1
Kudos: 25





	Taste of Summer

**Author's Note:**

> Kiss prompt: height difference kisses where one person has to bend down and the other is on their tippy-toes

Link stood at the bus stop on a deserted city street and pouted. He’d just successfully finished his first day at his first proper summer internship and he should have been on top of the world. Instead, he felt ashamed and gutted. Seriously, the bus?! It had only been a tiny, little ding on the bumper. It could have happened to anyone. That mailbox had certainly been moved overnight or something. And the punishment did not fit the crime. But his father had been adamant.

“If you can’t get the car out of the driveway without hitting something, I definitely can’t let you drive it all the way to the city every day,” his father had declared with a stern frown. His word was final and that’s why Link stood here at five o’clock in the afternoon waiting for a heated sweat bucket on wheels filled with strangers to take him home.

“This is so demeaning!” he groaned and kicked a rock that had happened upon his line of sight. The stone took flight and ricocheted off the light pole, hitting a shin of person who chose that precise moment to walk to the bus stop.

“Ouch!” the guy yelped and bent down to rub his leg. “What the hell, man?!”

Link stared at him, mouth hanging open. The guy had legs that went on miles. Link was certain he’d never seen anyone with such long legs. The guy stood up and strode to Link. Link had to tilt his head up to look at him in the eye. Link had always been the tallest one in his friend group. It felt strange to have to look up at someone. It made something in his stomach flutter in a familiar way.

The guy was wearing beige shorts and a black band t-shirt. He had a backpack slung over his shoulder and a dirty blond hair. Link had an almost uncontrollable need to run his fingers through the messy curls.

“Cat got your tongue?” the guy asked, eyeing Link with a deep frown. Link came out of his thoughts with a jolt. They stood almost toe to toe. The guy's whole demeanor was a challenge molded into flesh. Muscles constricting, lip twitching, his impossible height looming over Link. Link was afraid he was about to get into a fistfight for the first time in his life.

“Oh, gosh! I’m so sorry. I did not see you there. And I was aiming at the road, definitely not you! The rock hit the pole and… I’m so sorry!” Link rushed to explain. The words poured out of him and his hands whipped around pleadingly. The guy cocked his head to the side and all of a sudden, his whole body relaxed. He stepped back and a wide grin spread across his face. It seemed to light up the whole street and Link stared at his green-grey eyes. They were glinting playfully and left Link utterly breathless. The guy offered Link his hand.

“It’s okay. Already forgotten. The name is Rhett.”

Link took his hand and let it wrap around his own. Rhett had thick, rough fingers and a tight squeeze. Link wanted to take his fingers up to his mouth and lick them like a popsicle. It was summer after all.

“Hi. Link,” he managed to get out as he flushed bright red from neck to forehead. Rhett cocked an eyebrow at him.

“That’s an interesting name. Link. I like it. We’re gonna be friends.” He said it matter-of-factly. Like it was as easy as that.

“O—okay,” Link stammered. He wasn't sure why, but he felt like he’d just gotten the winning lottery ticket.

It so happened that they were waiting for the same bus. Link climbed on when it pulled over and Rhett sat next to him like it was the most normal thing in the world. Link felt Rhett’s warm body press against his own and quickly settled his backpack onto his lap to hide the swelling in his pants. Rhett talked in a loud, booming voice that made tingly shivers run down Link’s spine. _Can you come from just hearing someone speak,_ he thought at some point when the tightness in his pants became unbearable.

They were surprised to find out that they attended the same college. Rhett was a year older than Link. He said he might have seen Link sometime at the campus. Link could not say the same. He would’ve remembered seeing him. Rhett would have been hard to miss and harder to forget. Their conversation flowed effortlessly from classes they were taking to bands they liked until Rhett had to get off the bus.

“What bus do you take tomorrow morning?” Rhett asked as he got up. Link craned his neck to look at the giant hovering over him as the bus swerved to a stop.

“The one that’s at the city around nine.”

“Okay. See you tomorrow then,” Rhett said and, with a smile and a wave, jumped out of the middle doors. Link turned to look at him as they pulled back into traffic. The window was smudged and coated with a blurring sheet of dust, but he could have sworn he saw Rhett wink at him before he turned to walk away.

That evening at dinner Link's father grudgingly gave him permission to use the car again as Link's mother oversaw the exchange with steely eyes. To their surprise, Link just smiled and shook his head. He was fine with the bus. More eco-friendly, he explained to his parents. They exchanged a puzzled glance but asked nothing more. That night, Link dreamt of glimmering, moss-colored eyes and rough hands all over his body. He woke up painfully hard and relieved himself quickly with tight-fisted jerky strokes. As he came, he gasped out Rhett's name.

Link had always been awkward with his advances. It was tough being a gay kid in the South. He nearly incapable of reading cues and recognizing flirting, but this time he was pretty sure that Rhett would reciprocate. Taking the first step still scared him.

It took him exactly three weeks of daily bus rides to gather his courage.

On another unremarkable Friday afternoon Link was standing at the bus stop. He’d decided today was the day. He had a whole speech thought up and rehearsed, but when the tall beauty strode up to him, with a red, dripping popsicle in his hand and with his lips turned into a smile that could've lit up a whole city block, Link forgot everything he'd been planning. He just gawked at Rhett’s sticky red lips and blurted out the thought that was plaguing his mind.

“I wanna kiss you.”

Rhett laughed and stepped closer. “Go ahead then.”

Link’s eyes widened and a goofy smile spread across his face. He rose on his tippy toes and yanked on Rhett’s shirt collar to make him duck down. The kiss was hot and hungry, tasting of street dust and fruity popsicles. Link licked his lips when they parted.

“Cherry?” he guessed.

“Mm-hmm,” Rhett confirmed. He wrapped an arm around Link's waist and pulled their bodies together before whispering in his ear.

“Want some more?”


End file.
